Pulverizer



R. SINCLAIR PULVERIZER Jan. 28, 1930.

Filed June 19, 1928. 2 Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR.

BY mmmnmxwuzdq Kay- ATTORNEYS.

Jan. 28, 1930.

R. SINCLAIR 1,744,927

PULVERIZER Filed June 19, 19?8 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

bwbwm A TTORNEYS.

v tion line 22 of'Fig. 1.

Patented" 28, 1936 UNITED. sTATEs PATENT OFFICE EoB Eu: s'fivcnaiza, orNEW Yoamn. z, assrenon T0 UNITED COMBUSTION ENGINEERS me, on NEW YORK,N. -Y., A' conronnrron or NEw'YoEx ruLvEaIz E Application filed June 19,1928'. seriafiwu. 286,500.

This invention is a novel pulv'eriz'er or machine'for finely powderingcoal or other fuels or materials. The particular embodiment isespecially designed for the pulverization of crushed coal intended to befed directly to a furnace or to a storage bin.

The general objects-of the invention are to Y afford, in a pulverizingmachine, an increased efiiciency of action, greater fineness andumformity of pulverization, and largeroutput fora given size ofmachine.- Further objects are to afford greater ease and convenience ofcontrol and simplicity of structure assemblage and replacement of parts.I l urther objects are-to reduce the cost of construction of such amachine and the operating or maintenance cost thereof. Other and furtherob-' jects and advantages will be explained in the hereinafter followingdescription of an illustrative embodiment of the invention-or will beapparent to. those skilled in the subject of pulverizing-machinery. i

To the attainment of such objects and advantages the present inventionconsists in the novel pulverizer and the novel features of operation,construction, combination and arrangement herein illustrated ordescribed. The features of novelty pertain to the various parts of apulverizerincludingthe casing, the impact devices or beaters, the infeedof fuel and air, the mode of maintaining progress of the materialsthrough the machineand the manner of combining the outgoing streams offuel laden air and supplemental air.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is in part a side elevation and,input a vertical central section of a pulverizer embodying the presentinvention.

Fig.2 isa right endelevation of the same. partly broken awaysubstantially on the sec- Fig.v 3 is a horizontal section looking fromabove, taken on the line 3,3 of- Fig. 2. p

The general parts of the machine comprise abase 10 above which extendupwardly the main pedestals 11 carrying the casing, and the fanpedestals 12" and the pedestals 13 forthe shaft bearingsj The-maincasing is preferably formed in lower and upper halves 11* and15,-together constituting a -cylinder or I drum which is preferablystationary. The two halves are provided with meeting flanges 16 by whichthey are secured together through bolts '17. Additionally the two halvesof the' casing may be secured together by hinge pins 18 at each side, sothat either may be removed and the casing opened at the opposite side.Each casing half or casting is also shown provided at each end with anoutstanding flange 19 for connection to the parts which close the endsof the pulveriz'ing or reducing chamber within. r .The operating shaft20 may run at approximately usual speeds or sometimes faster than .usualand is shown mounted in end bearings 21 located on pedestals 13,. whilethe right end of the shaft carries a belt ulley r22 indicative'ofv anydesirable method of driving the shaft.

In Fig. 1 the left end is the supply or infeed 'end. Preferably crushedcoal is employed, in f fairy fine condition, as indicated at 25 in theV-shaped hopper 26. This feed hopper may be of square form seenfromabove andconstantly supplied with crushed material from the supplypipe 27 leading from a bin or elsewhere. The hopper. will be maintained'full substantially as illustrated and the crushed coal will pass outwith substantially uniform speed at the lower end. Adjustable exitplates 28 are indicated, which maybe swung toward or from each other byadjusting screws 29 so as to vary the size of. the exit I in turn beingsuppliedby a pipe 33 with air underpressure so as to maintain a constantdownward .air blast, agitating the crushed material and driving ittoward the exit. It

is sometimes importantto employ hot air forthis .purpose and the pipe33, may be considered as a hot air supply pipe,the heated. conditiontending to dry out any moisture in the crushed material and thusminimize adherence and clogging. The pipe 33, and the pipe 45 laterdescribed may be considered as leading from the air fan later described,or any source of air under pressure, with or without preheating in any1known'manner.

The lower portion of t e hopper 26 has a downwardly extending andflanged extension which in turn is shown secured to the flanges at theupper end of a hollow pedestal 36 containin a downward channel 37 bywhich the in ed material is conducted to the following channels andpassages. The fall of the fuel ma be broken by means of baffles and aninc 'ned baflle 38 is shown at the right wall of the channel 37. This inturn delivers upon a baffle 39, so that the fuel is compelled to passthrough the passage 40 between the two battles. The right side of thepedestal 36 is shown as having an extension 41 containing an upwardlyslanted passage 42 in line with the passage 40. In order that thecrushed material passing through passage 40 may be compelled to travelup the lpi e 42 and thence to the pulverizer, the a e 39 is shownrovided with a slot 43 delivering a sheet of air forcibly beneath thepassage 40 and into and along the pas-.

sage 42. The crushed coal or similar material is thus forcibly blownupwardly to the right so as to pass through passage 42. The air slot 43leads from a channel 44 which in turn is fed by a pipe 45 which maydeliver hot air under pressure for the purposes described. There is alsoshown a passage 47 between the bafile 39 and the extension 41, thisbeing so located that any excessively heavy particles may pass bygravity through the passage 47 into the receivin space 48 at the bottomof the pedestal. ythis means small bits and scraps of iron or othermetal are readily separated out at this point from the li htercrushedmaterial or coal, and when t e scrap material has collectedsufficiently in the receptacle 48 may be removed through the door 49.

The main casing 14 is shown as having its first or left end closed by aplate 51, the periphery of which is bolted to the flange 19 of thecasing. The end plate 51 is. centrally aperturedto receive the shaft 20.It is also formed with a hole 52 in line with the passage 42 and leadinginto the pulverizing chamber. The plate is also'provided with a hole oraperture 53 for admitting supplemental air near the upperpart of thecasing, under control of a damper 54. A removab e wear plate 55 is shownsuitably secured to the inner side of the end plate.

The end plate 51 is shown formed with an inwardly extending circularflange 56 giving support to and confining in place the generallycylindrical lining 57 of the casing. This lining preferably consists offour quadrantal sections separatel removable from the casing. Thus thecylindrical lining and the end wear plates may be replaced as often asrequired by the inevitable wear occurring in the machine, and the lifeof. the machine thus indefinitely prolonged at minimum expense anddifiiculty. I

Instead of a sim le smooth lining I refer a lining which is uted orformed with ribs and grooves as shown at 58. While the flutings areindicated as extending longitudinally and parallel with the axis of thecasing I contemplate shaping these with a longitudinal helical form.This tends to improve the pulverizing action and gives a convenientmethod of determining the efl-ect of the lining as respectstheaccelerating or retarding of the progress of'the fuel laden air throughthe pulverizer. Thus if the flutings or grooves are given a helicalincline trending and size of the flutings is well indicated in a:

Fig. 2, but may be indefinitely varied accord- ,in% to the conditions.

1e chamber is shown as containing four successive setsof heaters andtherefore four reducing or pulverizing spaces or chambers, andpreferably the flutings 58 are continued from the first end of thecasing to and beyond the semi-finalbeatelyso that the final beaterrotates in the portion 59 of the casing, having a slightly enlargeddiameter and a smooth or unfluted surface. A fan action will take placein the final reduction chamber, which is shown as having a tangentialoutlet 60 at its lower portion, bounded by suitably formed walls 61. Thefan action of the final heaters however is only supplemental to the fanproper, yet to be described. At the right end of the reducing chamber,protecting the adjacent wall of the fan chamber, is a wear plate 63analogous tothe wear plate 55 at the other end. v

Vithin the reducin chamber, and attached to the shaft .20 by a lmy orkeys 65, are the hub or hubs 66 for the successive reducing devices orrotary beaters. Removable wear plates 67 and 68 are shown protecting thefirst and last of the beater hubs, these being readily removable andreplaceable as with the wear plates 55 and 63, and the chamber lining 57so that substantially all parts which are exposed to excessive abrasionare readily and cheaply renewable. Four se arate hubs 66are showncarrying respective y the series of heaters 71, 72, 73 and 74, the lastmentioned coming within the enlarged bore 59 at the ing or reducingdevices are spaced substantially from each other in a longitudinaldirection. This gives an opportunity for redistribution of particles andbetter turbulence and reduction. Also the successive beating devices arein staggered relation. Thus the individual hammers or heaters 72 of thesecond device are shown spaced or stepped halfway between the heaters orhammers 71. The third set of heaters 73 are in line with the heaters 71and the fourth set 74 are in line with the heaters 72. Thisstaggeredrelation also improves turbulence and reducing action. Each setof heaters is pivoted to the hub thereof in a manner to permit limitedswing. Stud or studs 75 may be employed for securing the heaters 71 and73 removably in place and studs 76 similarly for the heaters 72 and 74,thus permitting ready removal and replacement of worn beaters. Eachheater is provided with a stop pin 77 permitting a slight swingingmotion but preventing execssive motion.

The fan is in a separate casing 79, the in-' ner wall 80 of which maybe-the wall closing the .right end of the main or reducing chamber. Aleftward projecting flange 81 on the wall 80 gives support to andconfines the cylindrical lining sections 57. The right hand or outerwall 82 of the fan casing is formed with a Large axial air opening 83.The fan chamber 85 is substantially circular, but has a tangentialoutlet passage 86 substantially parallel to the tangential outlet 60 ofthe reducing chamber. The outlet 86-is formed by walls 87. The twotangential outlets, ly-

.ing adjacent to each other are arran ed so that the delivery passagesjoin each ot er in a combining or mixing chamber 89. It will he notedthat at the confluence of the streams of fuel laden air, andsupplemental air, the two streams travel substantially parallel so thatthe high speed forcible delivery from the fan tends to create an induceddraft assisting the advance of the stream traveling extreme outer endare formed with a connecting flange 92 to receive the piping deliveringto the furnace or other desired point.

One featureof this invention is the control of the relative proportionsand speeds of the two streams issuing respectively from the reducingchamber and the fan chamber. The fan chamber is wholly exterior to andindependent of the reducing chamber and the two streams only meet at theexterior point or combining chamber 89 as stated. At the point ofconfluence is shown a device for relatively regulating the respectivedelivery rates and speeds. This might take various forms, but is shownas a simple vane 93-swinging with an axle 94 extending to an exteriorpoint where it is provided with an adjusting handle 95. By thisarrangement the vane may he swung in either direction as indicated bythe dotted lines. When the vane is swung further into the stream of fuelladen air this tends to retard and decrease therate of delivery from thereducing chamber and at the same time slows down the speed of travel ofsupplemental air, thus in both waystending to decrease the proportion offuel and increase the proportion of air. When swung in the oppositedirection the opposite adjustment is affected. This permits a delicatecontrol of the proportions and composition of the combined outgoingstream.

WVithin the fan chamber, attached to the shaft 20 by a key 96, is thefan hub 97 on which are supported a system of fan blades 98 by means ofa disk 99 extending outwardly from the hub, with a ring 100 at the otherside to strengthen and brace the blades. This form of fan gives a veryeffective delivery of supplemental air.

In addition to regulating the proportion of airby the dam er 54 at theinfeed end of the reducing cham er and by the vane 93 at the confluenceof the two streams, it is desirable to have regulation of thesupplemental air passing into and through the fan chamber. This isherein effected by means of a diaphragm or shutter so constructed andadj ustable as to maintain substantially the concentric shape of theentrance opening 83. Thus-a plurality of diaphragm plates 102 are shown,two being sufficient for purposes of illustration. Each of these has acurved inside contour, and is guided in fixed guides 103. Each plate isformed with a threaded projection or nut 104 and the two projections 100or nuts are shown engaged by a right and left threaded screw or rod 105,the forward end of which is mounted in a standard or hearing 106 andprovided with a hand wheel 107 by which the rod may be rotated so as tosymmetrically adjust the diaphragm plates, thus giving a very fineadjustment of the inlet aperture and the amount of supplemental airdelivered by the fan without altering its concentric location.

The operation has been sufiiciently indicated in the above descriptionof the apparatus. At the inlet end the downward passage below the hoppermay be described as curving laterally and then branched into a lateralor upwardly inclined passa e to the reducing chamber and a downwarpassage for the separation of relatively heavy objects, in cooperationwith the air jet for driving the lighter material into the lateralpassage and chamber. The first and second bafiies slow down the speed ofdescent of the crushed material and deliver it uniformly to the curvedpassage mentioned. The sets of heaters, spaced longitudinally andstaggered circumferentially permit an effective turbulent actionadjacent to the fluted lining and give very fine pulverization. Thematerial being ground is not caused to travel as a relatively dense bodyalong in contact with the chambet lining. On the contrary there is atendency, through the flutings and by gravity, for the particles to bethrown inwardly, permitted by the spaced and staggered arrangement ofthe heaters, so that the number. of impacts and efliciency thereof aregreatly increased. When the material has progressed to the last reducingspace or chamber, it is acted on by the final set of beaters, which havea further reducing action, but which tend also to speed up greatly thewhirling travel of the particles and thence deliver them through thetangential exit. Thus a very effective reducing is aflorded, withdelivery of a regulated quantity of air ladened with the pulverizedmaterial, this issuing from the reducin chamber and meeting with theindependent y produced su plemental air from the fan chamber, as ullydescribed. Regulation of the action at every point is afforded and theapparatus as a whole is well adapted for the purposes of unitpulverization and delivery of fuel toa furnace, or for other purposes ofreduction of materials.

It will thus be seen that there has been described 'a pulverizerembodying the principles and attaining the objects and advantages of thepresent invention. Since many matters of operation, construction,combination and arran ement may be variously modified without epartingfrom the principles of the invention it is not intended to limit thesame to such matters except so far as set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a fuel pulverizer, a casing, reducing means rotatable therein andmeans for feeding crushed material thereto comprising walls forming adownward passage curving laterally and branched into a lateral passageto the casing and a downward passage to a dead space for separation ofrelatively heavy objects, and a separate passage for admitting forceddraft to carry the crushed fuel from the downward into the lateralpassage.

2. In a pulverizer, a casing, reducing means rotatable therein and meansfor feeding crushed material thereto comprising walls forming a downwardpassage curving laterally and branched into a lateral passage to thecasing and a downward passage and chamber 1 for separation of relativelyheavy objects, and means for producing an air jet for driving thematerial into the lateral passage and easing without opposing thedescent of heavy objects into the chamber.

3. In a pulverizer, a casing, reducing means rotatable therein and meansfor feeding crushed material thereto comprising a downward passage, abaflie at one side thereof, a second bafile at the opposite side, aforced draft nozzle for producing a jet to drive thematerial from thesecond bafile at an upward inchne, a passage conducting such material tothe casing, and a dead space for receiving heavy materials not driven bysuch jet.

4. In a pulverizer a cylindrical drum enclosing a reducing chamber andhaving heads at its ends, series of impact beaters rotating therein,said drum being fluted opposite part of such beaters, but opposite thefinal beaters being smooth and having a tangential exit, and a suctionfan beyond the exit head having a tangential exit joining with thetangent-ial exit of the drum.

5. .In a pulverizer a reducing chamber with tangential delivery, aseparate fan chamber with delivery parallel to said delivery, a commonpassage into which both deliveries discharge, and an adjustable vane orswinging deflector arranged to increase one delivery while reducing theother. and vice versa,

6. In a pulverizer a main casing, a rotary shaft therein, a plurality ofsets of heaters thereon, the final set operating to deliver peripherallyfrom the casing, the casing having a peripheral delivery passageopposite the final set, a fan casing enclosing a separate fan chamber, afan therein, the fan casing having a peripheral delivery passage, andsaid delivery passages arranged to meet. whereby the flow from the fancasing induces flow from the main casing, and the pulverized gnaterialis excluded from contact with the 7. In a machine for pulverizing fuela.

main casing having heads at its inlet and outlet ends, a rotary shafttherein, a plurality of sets of beaters thereon, the final set operatingalso to promote delivery, the main casing having a tangential deliveryassage opposite such final set, a fan casing eyond the outlet head ofthe casing, a fan therein on said shaft, the fan casing having atangential delivery passage adjacent the delivery passage of the maincasing, and said passages arranged to conjoin whereby the flow from thefan casing induces flow from the main casing.

8. In a pulverizer a main casing, a rotary shaft therein, a plurality ofsets of beaters thereon, the main casing having a peripheral deliverypassage opposite the final set of beaters, a fan casing, a rotary fantherein, and fan casing having a delivery passage ad- 'acent thedelivery passage of the main casmg, and said delivery passages arrangedto join whereby the flow from the fan casing induces flow from the maincasing, and means for regulating the relative flow from the two deliverypassages.

9. In a pulverizer a main casing, a rotary shaft therein, a plurality ofsets of heaters thereon, the main casing having a peripheral deliverpassage opposite the final set of beaters, a an casing, a rotary fantherein, the fan casing having a delivery passage adjacent the deliverypassage of the main casing, and said delivery passages arranged to joinwhereby the flow from the fan casing induces flow from the main easing,andmeans for regulating the relative flow from the two deliverypassages, comprising a shiftable member at the junction of flow andmeans for adjusting'its position.

10. In a pulverizer, casing walls enclosing adjacent reducing and fanchambers with a separt-ing wall between them, a common shaft I extendingthrough said chambers, reducing means on the shaft in the reducingchamber, a fan on the shaft in the fan chamber, said chambers havingadjacent peripheral exits shaped for confluence of the two streams.

11. In a pulverizer, casing walls enclosing separate reducing and fanchambers with no communication between them, a common shaft, reducingmeans on the shaft in the reducing chamber, a fanon the shaft in the fanchamber, said chambers having adjacent 2 tangential exits shaped forconfluence of the two streams at an exterior point, whereby thepulverized material is excluded from the fan.

12. In a pulverizer, casing walls enclosing separate reducing and fanchambers, and a wall separating them to exclude pulverized materialofromthe fan, a common shaft. redueing means on the'shaft in the reducingchamber, a fan on the shaft in the fan chamber, said chambers havingadjacent exits shaped for confluence of the two streams and anadjustable member at such confluence for regulating the relative flow.

13. In a pulverizer, a casing containing reducing and fan chambers,rotatable beaters in the first chamber, a fan in the second chamber, thefan chamber having a central opening for admission of air, and anadjustable device for regulating such air, comprising a plurality ofdiaphragm plates movable on the 40 exterior wall of the fan chambertoward and from the axis for varying the inlet opening, oppositeslideways for guiding the plates, and a common device for adjusting suchplates symmetrically.

In testimony whereof, I have afiixed my signature hereto.

ROBERT SINCLAIR.

